@ShakedownDave: when she was little(r) i used to carry her around like this when we forgot her leash cause she was too big to be carried any other way. when i first picked her up this time, she at first was a little freaked out. it's been probably over two years since i've carried her this way. as soon as she was settled in though, her tail just started wagging like crazy. maybe her 10-year-old self suddenly remembered being a young puppy again.